Strapless brassiere



H. M. PLEHN STRAPLESS BRASSIERE Filed Jan.

April 17, 1962 FIG. 1

INVENTOR Henry M. Plehn ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,029,821 STRAPLESS BRASSIERE Henry M. Plehn, 730 Park Ave., New York, NY. Fiied Jan. 19, 196%), Ser. No. 3,363 3 Claims. (ill. 128-479) This invention relates to undergarments and more particularly to a brassiere capable of firmly supporting the breasts while providing natural bust contour.

It is well known that the primary function of a brassiere is the support of the breasts in a desirable and comfortable position. Fashion has dictated that a brassiere should additionally serve to enhance the female figure. Toward this end, various devices have been employed such as bust fillers and metallic or plastic supporting devices which lift or push the bust upwardly. Since even the smallest bust is slightly pendulous, a slight shallowness is always created in the upper portion of a bust cup. A majority of the devices used, however, make little or no provisions for filling such shallow area at the top of the cup, with the result that although the bust line may be completely filled at the bottom and central portions, a slight shallowness at the top is usually evident.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brassiere which will enhance the female figure especially at the upper part of the bust.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which will support sagging breasts and render the appearance of an otherwise drooping bust line more natural and therefore flattering.

A further object of this invention is to provide a brassiere having bust cups, with supporting members in each of said cups which will conform to the contour of the breasts without wrinkling and which will have no ridges on the exterior especially at the top region thereof in spite of the fact that such area is not naturally filled.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a brassiere which will allow complete muscular movement without unsightly bulging or wrinkling, and which will securely be retained upon the body of the wearer even upon vigorous movement of the shoulders and upper arms.

A further object of this invention is to provide a brassiere which will retain the breasts centrally within the breast pockets without discomfort to the wearer.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention is accomplished by the provision of a resilient supporting member of a particular shape and composition which is integrally incorporated or embedded within each bust cup. The shape which the resilient supporting member assumes is such that not only is fullness imparted to the upper part of each cup, but such member further serves to make the brassiere hug the body of a wearer and gives an additional measure of support to the breasts.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawing wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a brassiere seen from the rear showing the inserted supporting member in a cut away sectional view thereof;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken on line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cup with the stiffening member prior to the formation of the cup; and

FIG. 4 is a View of a completed bust cup.

Referring now to the drawing there is illustrated a brassiere it) having bust cups l1 and 12, each having a "ice top edge 13 which form the top of the garment. The arcuate edges 14 and 15 of each bust cup 11 and 12, along the inner edges thereof, is joined by stitching to a central portion 16 serving to separate each bust cup 11 and 12. Body encircling bands 17 and 18 are joined to bust cups 11 and 12 along the outer and bottom arcuate edges 14 and 15 of each of the bust cups 11 and 12, to complete the garment.

Since both bust'cups l1 and 12 are substantially identical, reference will be made to one such cup in the description of the invention, using the bust cup 11 as illustrative thereof.

Bust cup 11 generally comprises a pocket-like structure of two thicknesses of fabric 20, 21 within which the cupped structure 22 is retained. The cupped structure 22 of the present invention comprises a pad of foamed plastic 23 such as polyurethane or other yieldable padding material. The pad 23 may be preformed to assume a generally conical cup shape, or may be sectionally cut assuming a lung shape as seen in PEG. 3 and vertically stitched 24 along the inner edges 25, 26 thereof and horizontally stitched 27 in the medial section to form a conically shaped bust cup.

A resilient supporting member 30, preferably of nylon plastic generally assuming a boomerang shape, is affixed by gluing 31 or other means to the inner face of the pad 23 and a covering pad 28 generally assuming the shape of the resilient supporting member 30, but overlapping the edges thereof, is glued or otherwise aflixed to pad 23 so as to entirely encase the resilient supporting member 30.

' Where pad 23 was preformed in a conically shaped cup, the arms of resilient supporting member 30 are drawn inwardly so as to assume a horseshoe or wishbone shape, the lateral axis thereof being on an oblique plane.

Where the resilient supporting member 33 is ailixed to the pad 23 cut as it is in a generally lung-shape pattern, the resilient supporting member 36 will assume a horseshoe or wishbone shape with its lateral axis on an oblique plane after stitching 27 is applied to the medial section of the pad, and edges 25, 26 are vertically stitched to form a conical cup. 7

It will be evident from the foregoing that since the lateral axis of the resilient supporting member is on an oblique plane, the arcuate portion of the resilient supporting member will follow the natural curvature of the busts at the top region thereof and tend to supply the necessary fullness in the shallow area at the top portion of the busts. It will further be noted that the descending arms of the horseshoe shaped resilient supporting member 30, being on an oblique plane at the sides of the bust, further serve to support the busts from a lateral spread, and serve to centrally locate each bust within the cup of the brassiere.

It is to be understood that although the present invention has been described and shown in the drawing with reference to one embodiment, various other embodiments and adaptations may be made without constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein defined. For instance, while the brassiere embodying the novel structure of the present invention is illustrated as of the strapless variety, the invention may be equally applicable to a brassiere employing conventional shoulder straps aifixed to each of the bust cups at the front and to the body encircling band at the rear thereof.

I claim:

1. A brassiere having a body-encircling portion and bust cups attached thereto; means separating said bust cups; said bust cups having upper semi-circular portions, and comprising a first and second ply of foamed plastic padding; and a generally U-shaped resilient member between said first and second ply of said foamed plastic, the arcuate portion of said U-shaped member being disposed inedially in the upper semi-circular portion of each of said bust cups, said U-shaped member having the arms thereof vertically disposed downwardly substantially within the medial area of each vertical side section of said bust cups.

2. A brassiere having a body-encircling portion and bust cups attached thereto; means separating said bust cups; said bust cups having upper semi-circular portions, and comprising conical cups of foamed piastic; a gererally U-shaped resilient member ailixed to the inner face of each of said conical cups, said resilient member being encased by a layer of foamed plastic, said layer of foamed plastic generally assuming the shape of said resilient member, the arcuate portion of said U-shaped member being disposed medially in the upper semi-circular portion of each of said bust cups, said U-shaped member having the arms thereof vertically disposed substantially downwardly within the medial area of each vertical side section of each of said bust cups.

3. A brassiere having a body-encircling portion; a pair of bust cups attached thereto; and means separating said bust cups; said bust cups having upper semicircular portions, and comprising a generally comically shaped foamed plastic pad; a generally U-shaped resilient member secured to the inner face of each of said conical pads; the arcuate portion of said U-shaped member eing disposed medially in the upper semi-circular portion of each of said bust cups; the arms of said U-shapcd member extending downwardly; said arms being substantially disposed medially within each vertical side section of said bust cups; a foamed plastic layer generally assuming the shape of said resilient member and affixed to the inner face of each of said conical pads whereby said resilient member is encased Within the pocket area formed by securernent of said foamed plastic layer to said con ical pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,649,586 Josephson Aug. 25, 1953 2,727,278 Thompson Dec. 20, 1955 2,896,631 Block July 8, 1959 2,897,821 Lerner Aug. 4, 1959 2,920,627 Williamson Ian. 12, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 851,033 Germany Sept. 29, 1952 

